Golden Rule (Kings of Cypress Pointe Golden Empire #1)

Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

West

W hen Ricky said to call if I needed anything, I’m guessing he didn’t realize I’d put his word to the test so soon—two weeks exactly. I’m also guessing he had no clue I’d be putting in that call to ask him and Dez to help clear the lot at the youth center, but they showed up. And so did everyone else—Dane, Joss, Sterling, Tiffany, Hunter, Scar, Lexi, Jules, and even Jaxon.

God knows there’s enough work to go around.

At the thought, Dane passes with a wheel barrel filled with branches as Jaxon clings to his neck, laughing as he pretends Uncle Dane’s his horse for the day. Sterling tosses a bag of trash into the roll-off dumpster, and Hunter’s already started mowing the back section we cleared first. The ladies are covered in dirt and sweat like the rest of us, and it’s safe to say the progress that’s been made has been a team effort.

“Water?”

I glance left, pushing my shovel into the dirt to accept a bottle from Blue. “Thanks.”

She glances around with a sigh, trying to ignore that several news outlets have begun to set up camp around the perimeter of the property. Instead, she’s evaluating the work that’s been done versus what’s still on the to-do list, but my eyes are only on her. She’s filthy, but I’ll be damned if that shit isn’t working for her. The white tank top clinging to her tits is soaked with sweat, revealing the polka dot bra underneath it. The little-ass shorts she has on aren’t helping, either.

Damn, how the hell did I get so lucky?

My next thought is of how I nearly fucked everything up. Calling Tripp was a mistake, but it could’ve been so much bigger if I hadn’t flushed the pills. The last two weeks have been tough on Blue, and she needed me present—physically and mentally. No way I could’ve done that if I hadn’t come to my senses. In return, I got to be around to help her through the discomfort of injections, and the nerve-racking monitoring appointments, which were mostly ultrasounds and needles. She’s been strong—unbelievably so—and I’m proud to say I was strong, too.

Blue wipes her forehead with the back of her hand, leaving a smudge of dirt behind that makes her too hard to resist. When I pull her close, kissing her lips, a laugh bubbles in her chest.

“Don’t! I’m disgusting,” she screeches, but when I lift her feet off the ground, holding her against my chest, she smiles and wraps both arms around my neck.

“All I see is perfection.”

Even without a clear view of her face, I know she’s rolling her eyes right now, trying not to laugh. I lower her back to the ground, and there’s no missing the look of pride in her eyes as she scans the lot again. Her gaze darts toward me when I nudge her.

“You did all this. You know that?”

She’s already shaking her head before I finish, and I know what she’ll say before she says it. “No, look at everyone here. This is a group effort, West. All I did was get the ball rolling.”

I stare at her. This beautiful, humble woman I married. “Some might argue that’s the most important part.”

Her smile grows, and she chews the side of her lip in that way that’s always gotten to me.

“Maybe,” she says back, and I know that’s the closest she’ll get to admitting that she’s a total badass. But it’s cool, I’ll think it for her.

All day, every day.

In my peripheral vision, I spot Blue’s doppelganger headed this way, Scar with her half-pink ponytail bouncing behind her. Without asking, she takes the bottle of water from her sister’s hand and chugs what’s left.

“Sure, have at it,” Blue says with a laugh.

“Sorry, but it’s hot as balls out here. Leave it to you to pick the hottest day of the year to have us out here hauling dirt.”

“Look at the bright side. If we finish today, we won’t have to come back tomorrow.” Blue hugs her around her shoulders when she finishes speaking, which has Scar twisting her face into a scowl.

“Gross! You’re all sweaty,” she whines.

Blue smirks and tosses a look toward me. “West didn’t have any complaints.”

“Because you’re both freaks,” Scar sighs. “He probably liked it.”

I could deny the accusation, but why bother. She’s fucking right.

My nephew’s still hanging from Dane’s neck when he walks over. Actually, it’s more of a gallop, which means he’s leaning into the whole horse thing . Sterling’s right behind him. Most of the work’s done, so I’m guessing they’re wondering what’s next.

“Well, what do you think so far, Boss?” Sterling’s question is aimed at Blue, earning him the punch to his shoulder.

“Whatever,” she laughs, glancing around the lot. “Honestly, things are coming together a lot quicker than I expected.”

“So, basically, what you’re saying is… we saved your ass.”

Blue smiles and opens her mouth to give Sterling shit for the comment, but Lexi walks up and speaks first.

“Whoa, language.” She tips her head toward Jaxon as she slips both hands into the pockets of her jeans. But there’s no scowl on her face. Actually, she’s smiling, which means she isn’t actually pissed.

A smirk hitches on Sterling’s mouth. “Right. My bad.”

I think I speak for the whole crew when I say it’s a relief seeing them finally getting along again. It might be a longshot to hope that things eventually become as easy as they were back in the day, but at least they seem to be headed in the right direction.

“You’re doing something amazing here, Blue.” Ricky pauses to scan the lot. “Aunt Teresa presented an idea to the family at last week’s meeting. She suggested that the Ruizes donate all the center’s furniture, and the vote was unanimous, so just say the word when you’re ready.”

Blue’s eyes widen with surprise, and when tears well in them, I know she’s about to attack Ricky with a hug. I’m right, and she nearly knocks him over with it.

“Are you freaking serious?”

He laughs and squeezes her with one arm. “Whatever you need, it’s yours.”

It’s support like this that’s made it incredibly clear that what my wife is doing in this community is not only much-needed.

It’s appreciated.

Blue lets Ricky go, immediately waving Dez, Tiffany, and Joss over. “Let’s get a pic.”

The girls are walking this way, but when I spot someone coming up on my left, my posture stiffens.

Fucking Seth.

He’s always got this fucking chipper-ass grin on his face that makes me want to punch him in his shit. I’ve seen dudes play the innocent role to get in a girl’s good graces—hell, I’ve played the innocent role for that very reason—so I recognize it from a mile away. I gave him a chance, and as I watch him eye-bang my wife like I’m not fucking standing here, that chance goes up in flames.

“Afternoon,” he says as he walks up.

Everyone speaks, being polite because none but Scar have seen him in action. Then again, I suppose I have to be nice, seeing how he’s working with Blue on this project, and it’s incredibly important to her. But if it weren’t for that, I’d have no problem showing this fucker how the Golden Boys handle snakes that don’t seem to understand boundaries.

“How are things coming along inside?” Blue asks, and Seth’s eyes light up.

“So far, so good. Looks like you guys are making a ton of progress, too?”

She shrugs modestly. “You know, it’s coming along. ”

It’s Seth’s turn to speak, but he went stupid zoning out on Blue’s tits, likely taking note of her bra showing through her tank top like I did a moment ago.

Yep.

I’m gonna kill him.

“I should, uh… I should get back inside to check on things.”

“Hang on. We were just about to take a pic. You should join us,” Blue says, already pulling out her phone.

Seth hesitates for the fraction of a second, then caves, grinning at my girl again. “Alright.”

Everyone gathers behind Blue, and I stand to her right, holding her waist. Squinting into the sunlight, she holds the camera in the air and smiles big while the crew pose in the background—Scar hopping onto Joss’s back, Lexi pretending to pick Jaxon’s nose, Tiffany stealing Sterling’s baseball cap at the last second.

Blue looks it over, then smiles. “Perfect. We don’t even need to do a second take.”

“Great. I’ll get back to it then,” Seth announces, then his eyes slide over Blue before he turns to rejoin his team inside.

It feels like someone’s stare is boring a hole into the side of my head, and when I turn, both my brothers are eyeing me, both sporting these knowing looks that let me know I’m not crazy.

Seth has it bad for Blue, but by him not being from Cypress Pointe… guy’s got no fucking clue the hell I’ll rain down on him if he steps out of line.

“Just tagged everyone,” Blue announces, grinning as she slides her fingers across her phone at lightspeed. She’s as innocent as she is beautiful, none-the-wiser when it comes to Seth’s slick intentions.

As I watch her, that smile fades as the phone rings in her hand. One glance at her screen, and I understand.

“Dr. Tyler,” she says.

I hate that seeing his name instantly has her anxiety spiking, but I get it. I feel it too. The egg retrieval was a few days ago, and we were told we’d get a call with an update, so… I suppose that’s what this is.

“Give us a sec.” My words to the crew have them carrying on conversation without us as I turn to Blue. “Let’s take the call in the car.”

She nods at my suggestion, following me toward our SUV as she answers, unable to hide the nervousness in her voice. “Dr. Tyler. Hi.”

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Golden. How are you feeling?”

Blue climbs into the backseat and slides over as I follow her inside, trying to ignore how my heart’s racing.

“I’m… a little sore, but other than that, all good,” she says, letting a smile break free, but it fades quickly.

“That’s completely normal. You may have had a similar experience with your previous egg retrievals, so there’s nothing to be alarmed about.”

“Thanks. That’s good to know.” Blue fidgets with her hair, keeping her gaze trained on the floor.

“Well, I promised I’d reach out with an update on how we fared. You’ll be happy to hear that we successfully retrieved fourteen eggs, and nine have fertilized.”

Blue’s eyes slam shut, and she breathes deep. Those are better numbers than we’re used to hearing. The next second, I have her hand in mine.

“Wow, that’s… that’s incredible. Thank you Dr. Tyler.” Her words tremble as they leave her mouth, telling of the emotion she’s holding back.

“No need to thank me, but I’ll agree we’re off to a good start.”

I’m pleased with the news, too, but there’s something in his voice that keeps me from celebrating. It’s like I can feel him holding back, so I’m doing the same.

“There is, however, something I’d like to explain. Is your husband nearby?”

Blue shoots a look toward me. “Yes, he’s with me. You’re on speaker.”

“Ok, perfect. I just want to make sure you both get a clear understanding, and I’d like to answer whatever questions you might have.” He pauses to breathe deep, and I get the feeling he may have just gotten our hopes up to shoot us right back down. “While Mrs. Golden’s egg retrieval went well, I have some concerns.”

I draw in a breath, holding it.

“I like to be completely transparent with my patients, and I kept a close eye on your uterine wall during the monitoring phase, Mrs. Golden. My hope was that it would thicken more in preparation for implantation, but… that process has been a bit slower than I’d typically like to see.”

And there it is, the other shoe we’ve been waiting to drop. My head lowers, and Blue’s hand goes slack in mind.

“So… where does this leave us?” she asks, pretending to be brave.

“Well, for now, it simply means we’ll be switching our plans from conducting a fresh embryo transfer to a frozen transfer. That buys us a bit of time to take steps to get your body better prepared for the implantation.”

“I just… I don’t understand why this is just coming up,” Blue stammers as her face reddens and tears gather in her eyes.

Today started off with such a high, only to have it fall off with one ill-timed phone call.

“I know this can feel like you’ve been blindsided, but this isn’t uncommon, Mrs. Golden, and this is precisely why we watch our patients so closely during the process. Every woman’s body is different, progressing at its own unique rate, so it’s sometimes difficult to tell from one week to the next what will change. And while some doctors may take their chances and move forward with implantation, it’s been my experience that waiting and taking further steps greatly increases my patients’ chances of success.”

Blue wipes a tear that slides down her cheek, and I wish I could take this from her—the pain, the fear, the rollercoaster of emotions.

“So, what next?”

My head tilts when she asks that, wrangling in her sadness. Her resilience is sometimes unbelievable to me.

“For starters, I’d like to get you on two new medications that should get your uterus where I typically like to see it at this phase. From there, we’ll continue to keep a close eye on your progress, and in four to six weeks, we’ll re-evaluate and decide how to move forward.”

Blue’s chest lifts when she takes a deep breath, then nods as she exhales. “Okay. We’ll do whatever it takes.”

Our eyes lock after that, and I can’t help but smile at this woman. She’s been taking my breath away for the past seven years, and nothing’s changed.

“Perfect,” Dr. Tyler says. “I’ll have the script sent over to your pharmacy this afternoon, and someone will reach out in the coming days to get you two scheduled for another appointment.”

Despite this not being the news Blue and I wanted, we’re not broken by it.

“Sounds good,” I say with a nod. “Thank you, doctor,”

“Of course. Talk with you both soon.”

The line goes dead, and we sit in silence. So many emotions. So many unspoken words. But knowing her the way I do, I feel it all.

She’s afraid, disappointed, frustrated.

I squeeze her hand, but that’s not enough, so I pull her to me, holding her against my chest. She swipes another tear away but doesn’t fall apart.

“Well, here we are,” she laughs, sniffling with the words.

“Here we are.” I squeeze her tighter, sensing that she needs it.

When we started this journey over a year ago, we knew it would be tough, but it’s been more than that. It’s been brutal. But what keeps me going is knowing what we stand to gain if we don’t give up.

I’ll get to build a family with the love of my life.

My best friend.

@QweenPandora:

Well, aren’t you all just one big, happy family!

It’s hot as balls outside today, and while most of us were sitting on ice blocks in front of a fan, the #GoldenCrew was hard at work. Several locals sent in pics of the gang pulling weeds and hauling trash to get the exterior of #NewGirl’s project presentable, but she was kind enough to post this lovely, behind-the-scenes pic of the royal court.

And look, they even allowed #TheSubstitute and Seth to join in.

Hold up… Anyone else thinking what I’m thinking?

Seth’s been spending quite a bit of time with #NewGirl, which means we’ve had the pleasure of indulging in his hotness on the regular. In my book, that’s reason enough to be given a moniker.

So, on this day, I hereby dub the hottie formerly known as Seth… #TheBenchwarmer.

Because, let’s be honest, the second #KingMidas turns his back, #TheBenchwarmer’s gonna make his play.

There are no other updates other than this image of #KingMidas and #NewGirl sequestering to their SUV, looking tense as they take a private call. I’m fresh out of ideas what it could’ve been about, so weigh in if with your guesses in the comments, and we’ll see if anything sticks.

At any rate, thanks for keeping things interesting #GoldenCrew. How would we ever entertain ourselves without you?

Later, peeps :)

—P